


The Sacrifice

by OnlyHim



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Danny is a dragon what more do you need, Dragon!Danny, Fluff, Humor, M/M, Middle Ages, sort of, warrior!Steve
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-19
Updated: 2016-12-19
Packaged: 2018-09-09 21:05:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,230
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8911909
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OnlyHim/pseuds/OnlyHim
Summary: There's a dragon terrorizing the village. Steve is assigned to kill it. Things are not what they seem.





	

Today was the day. Maybe he should be scared, or at least concerned, but he wasn't. He'd been preparing for this. He'd known since he was a teenager that he would be the next one. He had focused his whole life in getting ready for this moment, hoping that maybe he'd be the one, maybe he'd be able to finally free his village from the terror. He had trust in his abilities. He knew he'd done the best he could and then some. And he knew he'd fight. To the death, like all the others. He'd give his all, and he'd done everything he could to make sure his all would be enough. This was who he was. The warrior, the martyr, sacrificing himself for the good of the others. He never questioned it, on the contrary, he'd always been honored that he was the one that had been chosen and he'd vowed early on that this was the last time this would happen, if it was the last thing he ever did. Well, it probably would be the last thing he ever did. And he would die proud for having fulfilled his duty.

Steven J. McGarrett came from a long line of public servants. His grandfather had died saving people during the big fire in '07, and his father had been the village's sheriff his entire life. As every other male kid in town, he'd been observed since he was little, to see if he had potential or not and when he turned 15 he was told he would be next. In 10 years he'd be the one who'd go up the mountain to the dragon's lair to fight it – as it had been happening every 50 years for the past few centuries. If he was able to kill the dragon, the village would finally be free. If not, they would have to keep sending the sacrifices. Needless to say, no one had ever been able to do it.

Steve had been somewhat conflicted the day he found out. He was still a teenager after all, and he still had dreams and expectations for his life. He wanted to follow the footsteps of his grandfather, maybe, who he'd been named after. It felt like a good life. Serving, being useful. Using all that extra energy he'd always had. And sure, this came with its risks, but it wasn't a certainty. It was very possible he could make it to a ripe age of 50. Sometimes he'd allowed himself to indulge in selfish plans. Find a nice lady, have a family, maybe just work fixing carts, something he and his father liked to do in their spare time. The conflict didn't last long, though. Self-sacrifice ran in his blood and soon he threw himself in preparation, wanting to make sure his village and any other kids wouldn't have to go through this ever again.

(His mother had cried for hours that day.)

Now that was it. They had held a huge ceremony, offered him all the blessings, said their goodbyes – and how motivating was that, that they all just assumed that he wasn't coming back? – and he was now on his merry way. He had sharpened his spear the day before, done his mental preparation in the morning, warmed up with what was probably be his last run around the coast.

He stopped at the base and looked up the mountain. It didn't look so daunting. That wasn't a good thing, he had learned never to underestimate your enemies. But the mountain wasn't the enemy anyway, it's what lived on top of it. An enemy he'd never seen, only heard stories about. Terrifying stories. The dragon was supposed to have the size of ten large man combined. A snout that could breath a fire so strong that it could burn a dozen houses in one blow. Claws that could take your head out with the slightest flick. To be honest, Steve had never understood why they only sent one man each time. How did they expect anyone to be able to fight such a monster? It was part of the legend, though, so he never questioned, never argued. He was sure there was a reason. Maybe that was the only way to really get rid of the dragon. Maybe if they sent more people the dragon would come back. Or maybe his friends would come and fight with him. Who knew. It didn't matter. Steve was doing what he'd been told to do and he'd do it without fear and without looking back.

He'd been so distracted with his thoughts that he didn't notice that he was almost at the top of the mountain. He stopped for a second, gathering his energy, focusing. Now was the moment he had been preparing for. It was the moment to put all his efforts and training to use. He took a few deep breaths, straightened his spear in his hand and took the last steps to the top.

He could hear harsh huffs of air being blown, followed by a sucking sound. He was confused until he realized it was the dragon's breathing. No, wait, it was actually the dragon _snoring_. Steve approached carefully and noticed that the dragon was, in fact, sleeping, with its head facing the other side. Could he be this lucky? Surely this would make things a lot easier for him, it would be easier to sneak up on the dragon and attack him from behind. Steve padded towards the dragon, his footsteps as soft as he could make them. Spear in hand, he got close, aimed to the base of the dragon's skull and...

A huge paw was coming towards him, coming from god knew where, Steve never even noticed the dragon moving. He didn't have time to adjust the position of his spear, so he just ducked and rolled away, barely missing a claw that was about to crush his chest. He got up and straightened as fast as he could, adjusted his weapon and aimed. There was no element of surprise anymore, so all Steve could do was fight with all his might and hope for the best.

He struck forward, aiming for the dragon's nostril. It was his best option, if he tried its mouth he'd be eaten or anywhere else on its body, for that matter. If he could get his spear inside its nostril he could get to its brain and that would either kill it or at least impair it considerably.

Steve would have hit, if the dragon hadn't moved away from his strike so fast. How could something so big move with such agility and grace? Steve could feel fear start to grow deep down his chest, but he'd be damned if he'd let that overcome him. He kept with his plan, of looking for fragile spots. Now that the dragon had moved, its neck had been exposed, so that's where Steve charged towards now.

Next thing he knew he was on the ground, something heavy and huge crushing him, and through the dizziness Steve realized it was the dragon's paw, huge claws on either side of his head. So that was it. He was done for, and he'd barely had a chance to fight. He'd truly hoped that all his effort could pay off. He expected that at least he'd be able to fight longer. There was nothing he could do now, just wait for the final blow. He just hoped it would be quick, and not so painful.

It took a few seconds for Steve to realize that nothing was happening. He looked up to see that the dragon was... staring at him? What, was it expecting Steve to struggle? He knew a lost battle when he saw one. He'd dropped his spear and there was no way he could overpower the dragon. Maybe the dragon wanted him to beg. Well, that was something Steve would never do. He'd die with honor and pride, knowing that he did his best.

The dragon was still staring at him. It was only now that Steve had a chance to really see it. The dragon was blue, its scales glinting in the sun. It had beautiful blue eyes, the color of the sky. Steve found himself mesmerized by the view. He noticed that the dragon didn't look aggressive, it looked... curious.

“You're more clever than the other ones. And stronger.”

Huh? Was this some sort of pre-death hallucination? Because Steve could've sworn that the dragon had just spoken to him.

“Prettier, too.”

Oh, good, now hallucination-dragon was flirting with him.

“Are you going to say something at some point? I don't like talking to myself, I do enough of that already when there's no one here.”

Maybe he was dead already. Maybe Paradise was a myth, and the after life was him reliving his past experiences.

“Okay, I take that back. You're not clever, at all.”

Maybe Steve should try saying something. Because he didn't like the idea of spending eternity stuck under the paw of a huge beast.

“I, uh... I don't know what I'm supposed to say.”

“Oh, he speaks.”

Steve stared at the dragon. For all his training, this was absolutely something he had not prepared for.

“Sort of,” the dragon, well, said, seeming to be forcing itself to be patient. “Okay, let's start with something easy. What's your name?”

“M- McGarrett?”

“Are you asking me or are you telling me? Gods, are all humans this dumb?”

“I'm- I'm telling. I'm Steve McGarrett.”

“Okay, we're making progress. I'm Danny.”

“You have a name?” Steve was so confused. None of this made any sense.

“What, I can't have a name? You have one.” The dragon sounded defensive.

“Yes, but...”

“Oh, just because I'm a dragon I can't have a name?” Its defensiveness was rapidly becoming anger.

“Well, no, I guess you can, I just... I wouldn't expect it to be a 'human' name.”

“I had another one. Still have I guess. But it's too hard for humans to pronounce, so I gave myself a new one.”

“What do you care if humans can pronounce your name or not? Don't you just kill all of us on sight?” Great, now Steve was engaging in an argument with the dragon. Insane, he had gone completely insane.

“Now, see, that's a terrible prejudice you all have on us, and I take deep offense to that.”

“Isn't that what's been happening all these years? We come here to try and gain our freedom back, but you kill everyone who tries.” Steve decided to stop trying to make sense of this and just go with it. It's not like he had another option.

“That is another misconception. A misunderstanding, if you will.”

“A misunderstanding? How can something like this possibly be a misunderstanding?”

“Well, it... Look, can I let you go? I'm getting a cramp from keeping my paw like this. But you have to promise not to try and fight me again.”

“Do I look like I'm struggling? And my spear is all the way over there.”

“Okay. And don't try to run, either. I'm in a bad mood, you woke me up in the middle of a very nice dream, I'm getting a headache. I just can't promise I'll be able to control my strength again and not hurt you.”

“You don't want to hurt me?”

“Don't you think I would've already if I did?”

“So I'm not dead?” Steve didn't know if that knowledge made him feel better or worse.

“'I'm not'... How would you... What... How can humans be so dense? This is unbelievable.”

“Hey, would you stop with that? I'm not dense, I'm just... None of us would ever think that dragons could talk, okay? I thought I was hallucinating or something.”

“Okay, okay. Let's start over. So can I? Let you go?”

“Yes.”

The dragon... well, Danny, lifted its paw and pulled it back close to its body. Steve scooted back to get as much distance as possible.

“I told you, I'm not going to hurt you. You don't have to be so scared.”

“Well, forgive me for not being ready to trust a thing that can kill me just by breathing on me.”

“Oh, wow, now that hurt. Thing? I'm not a thing.” The dragon sounded deeply offended. “Us dragons are a very intelligent and self-sufficient species. We're not monsters.”

“Something that kills any living thing on sight sounds like a monster to me.”

“We don't... I'm not... Look, will you just let me explain?”

“Explain what?”

“Well, maybe if you'd stop arguing and calling me names I would've told you already.”

“I didn't call you names.”

“Oh, how would you feel if I called you a monster?”

“Okay, fine. Go ahead.”

The dragon... cleared its throat.

“So, like I was saying, this is all a misunderstanding. For a very long time, humans didn't know we existed. One day – I guess your village started to grow larger or something – a group of men climbed this mountain. I was sleeping, you see, and sometimes I... Sometimes I breathe fire in my sleep.”

Steve didn't know how this was possible, but the dragon looked sheepish.

“I woke up to the screams and the whole band of them running down the hill, terrified. I didn't have time to explain to them that it had been an accident. Next thing I know, one of you comes all by himself, clearly prepared for a fight. I was just defending myself, but you're all so... fragile. So I killed him. I swear I didn't mean to, I barely touched him.”

The dragon looked so sincerely apologetic that Steve almost felt sorry for him. Well, he would have if everything didn't feel just so weird.

“Some time goes by and I think, okay, they're letting it go, good, I'm just going to stay here and everything is going to be fine. Then fifty years after that another one of you comes. Same thing happens. I felt terrible, I really don't like killing things, unless I need to eat them. But that's so rare, we usually eat leaves, you know. We only have to eat living things when we're sick and that happens only every few centuries or so. Even then I try to find something that has died naturally.”

The dragon was rambling, almost seeming like he'd forgotten that Steve was there. He focused back on Steve and shook his head.

“Anyway, I digress. So, I kill this guy, and again some times goes by. I think okay, that was a fluke or something, I'm letting this go. Except exactly another fifty years later same thing happens again! And I'm getting so frustrated, because I just can't help it! So I think, I'm going to go down the village and explain the whole thing. That... didn't go so well. Everyone was scared to death, running around like maniacs, hiding everywhere they could. Next day they send another guy. Same thing happens.”

The dragon's tone was resigned and almost... bored.

“So I just accept it and just try to focus on not killing the next one. Which clearly I haven't been able to do. So it's been like that for over five hundred years, until now. Which is why I'm not only impressed with you, but also very happy because I finally get to talk to someone.”

“Okay, I got to ask, why every fifty years?”

“I don't know! Your species, you're just... you come up with the strangest things.”

“Okay, just... This is too much. I still can't believe you're talking... Wait. What do you mean someone to talk to? What about the other dragons?”

Danny hesitated before answering. “There aren't any left... My whole family died centuries ago. I've heard some stories before that there might be a few scattered around the world, but a dragon never leaves its lair. So I can't go look for any of them.”

The forlorn expression that took over Danny's face made Steve's heart break.

“And you've been completely alone this whole time?”

“Yes.” Danny sighed.

“Okay.”

“Okay, what?”

“Okay, I'll talk to you.”

“Oh. Thank you.” The smile that spread over Danny's face was blinding.

“What do you want to talk about?”

“If you don't mind, I have repeated my own stories in my head over and over throughout the years, so would you mind telling me about your life?”

“Uh, okay, I guess...” Steve didn't really like talking about his life. Everyone in the village had been there when everything happened, and they all knew better than to talk to him about it. But he figured that the dragon would understand loss, probably better than anyone. “Well, there's not much to tell, really. I was a normal kid, I guess, then I was-”

“No, just there, you see. I have seen humans, but I've never talked to one. I don't really know what a normal childhood is, so... Tell me.”

“Oh, okay. I can do that. Well, I think you could say that we have a very active childhood. We're always playing around or helping our parents or uncles with their craft. My dad fixed carts, so I learned to work with wood and the mechanics of the whole thing when I was very young. When I was too little I just watched, but as I got older and stronger I slowly started doing things. By the time I was twelve I was able to build a whole cart from scratch.”

“That sounds nice.”

“I guess. It didn't seem like something I'd like to do my entire life, though. I always thought I'd follow my father or my grandfather's footsteps. Serve and protect somehow. I've always had so much energy, you know? I spent practically all of my free time outside, running, swimming, climbing trees, anything I could find. So that's why when I was fifteen they told me I would be the next one to come here, because I was the most qualified. And from then on that's all I did. Prepare to come here and try to... uh, kill you.”

“What do other people do?”

“Uh, well, there's the ones who make swords, knifes, bows and arrows, the ones who make clothes, there's the family who owns the bar – that's the only place that offers food and drinks in the village, they make it all themselves. Then there's the ones who plant food and hunt to bring it all to the owners of the bar. We have an apothecary who works along with the medic, they treat us when we get hurt or sick. I got very well acquainted with them, during my practicing years. We have more people who work with wood, to build houses and boats.”

“You humans. You're funny little things.”

“Hey!”

“What? I meant that as a compliment.”

“I really don't see how that could possibly be a compliment.”

“You just... You're able to build this whole thing. Us dragons... we live with what we have. What's already there. Plants, caves. We gather gold. But we don't build anything. We don't change anything. You... Everything that you use is because you put it there.”

“Well, we hunt and use plants, too...”

“Yes, but you hunt with weapons you made. I use my claws. You now plant whatever you need. I still need to go after it. And it's been centuries, and like I said, I never talked, but I've observed. Things keep changing for you. In the thousands of years I've been alive, I've seen so much change, I've seen you learn so much. We don't. What I know now it's the same it's been since my parents were born. You're amazing, really.”

“Oh, well...” Steve was actually blushing a little. “It's not like I can take credit for any of that.”

“Well, no, you didn't do any of that personally, but... It was your species who did it. It's in your blood. It's part of you, this want to do more, to learn more. You said it yourself, building carts wouldn't be _enough._ Because that's who you all are. There's always those of you who want more and find a way to get it. It's beautiful.”

“It's not always beautiful. From stories I've heard, humans can do very bad things, too.”

“Unfortunately, that comes with your need for more. Many times you don't realize that when you're getting more you're taking from somebody else. This need of yours many times make you lose focus. Maybe this will change some day. Maybe some day you'll learn how to get better without destroying so much.”

“Maybe... I've never thought of it that way.” They were both silent for a while. Steve was thinking about what the dragon had said. He had no idea what the dragon was thinking about. He realized that he'd been there for a very long time. “Uh, Danny, I... I probably should be going now.”

“Oh. Okay. Thanks for staying here so long and talking to me.” Danny smiled, even though it looked a little sad.

“Can't say it was entirely unpleasant.” Steve felt a responding smile form on his face.

“That's good to know.”

Danny was still smiling, but Steve now noticed that it seemed a little forced, and he could see all that loneliness in Danny's eyes. Steve didn't have to think much about what he said next.

“I'm coming back.”

“What do you mean, you're coming back?”

“I'm not leaving you. I just need to go there and make them believe I killed you, so they don't choose and prepare another poor kid to come here in 50 years. And the longer I stay here, the harder it's getting to explain what's keeping me.”

“Oh.” Danny looked surprised and Steve didn't miss the flash of relief that went through him.

“Uh, I was thinking... Is there maybe something I could take with me, like something to prove I was here?”

“I shed claws. I think there's a piece back there.”

“You mind if I go look for it?”

“Knock yourself out.”

Steve came back with a piece of Danny's claw, big enough to prove it could only have come from a dragon.

“Okay. I'll be back soon.”

“Okay. Thanks, Steve.”

Steve just nodded and started his way down the mountain. After a short while, he turned back to look at Danny.

“Hey, Danny.”

“Yes?”

“I really did enjoy myself.”

The smile on Danny's face was a lot more real now.

 

Danny settled down for another nap. Not much more he could do. When he wasn't searching for food and flying around, the only thing to do was sleep. Though this time, he didn't sleep. He spent a long time thinking about his talk with Steve. About how surprisingly enjoyable that whole afternoon had been. He was pleased that Steve had said he was coming back, he never expected to have company again, and such good company. But he knew he couldn't expect him to be there all that much. He had a life down there after all, and Danny imagined that it wouldn't be the easiest thing in the world to explain why he kept coming up the mountain.

A noise coming from the road startled him, and he wondered if something had gone wrong with Steve's plan. Maybe the villagers decided they wanted to come here see for themselves that he was dead. That would be a problem. Danny definitely didn't want to fight them, but he knew how just defending himself could have disastrous results... And he couldn't keep from doing it, it was just instinct. He'd tried before, to just let the humans attack him and be done with it, but before he knew he'd lifted a paw and the human was gone.

He was still lost in these horrendous thoughts when he saw Steve turning the corner, and he seemed to be alone. Danny didn't expect him back so soon.

“Hey! What are you doing here? I thought-” And then Danny stopped, because he noticed something on Steve's back. “Is that a...?”

“Yes, it is.”

“Why do you have a supersized traveling bag with you?”

“Because that's what everyone thinks I'm doing. I told them I was going to go traveling, to look for other places that might need my help.”

“Huh?”

“Well, I had to come up with a reason for why I wasn't staying.”

“What do you mean, you're not staying?”

“Didn't I tell you I was coming back?”

“Well, yes, to visit, I assumed.”

“Oh, no. I meant to stay.”

“What?”

“I'm staying here with you. Unless you don't want me here...”

“No, I do! Of course I want you here. But... How... That doesn't make sense.”

“What doesn't make sense?”

“Why would you do that? You have family there. Friends. People who care about you. People you care about.”

“No, I don't. My family is gone, Danny. All of them. And as for friends... They already thought they'd said goodbye to me, for good. And sure, they were happy I was back, and they wanted me to stay, but... I mean, I love them, okay? I was raised among all of them and of course I care about them, but...”

“But?”

“I just didn't think I could be there anymore. I spent my whole life training to come here. And now that that's done, what am I supposed to do? Go back to making carts? Protect a place where everyone knows one another and nothing bad ever happens? I don't think I can do that. I had a purpose, you know? I had something that would make me useful in a way no one else could. I had a chance to save the village. If I stay there now, I'm just going to feel... Empty and lost...”

“And how is staying here with me any better than that?”

“Well, you've been my purpose for years. Only before I was supposed to kill you. Now that I've learned all these things about you...”

“What?”

“I _am_ useful here. I don't want you to be alone anymore. No one down there is alone, they have each other. But you don't.” Steve blushed a little. “I don't know how to explain, Danny, but being with you just seems... right. Besides, you can take me flying. That seems like adventure enough for me.” Steve had a look of excitement on his face, almost bouncing on his feet.

“Steve...” Danny could barely talk past the lump in his throat. He could never imagine something like that happening, someone caring like that.

“But you're right, I'm sorry, I never even asked if you wanted this. You probably don't even want me intruding like that, maybe it is better if I just come visit every once in a while. I can go back, it's no problem-”

“Gods, Steve, no, just shut up. I want you here. There's nothing I want more than you here.”

“Really?” Steve's smile lit up his entire face.

“Really.”

“Okay.” Steve clapped his hands together. “If that's the case, we have things to do.”

“What things?”

“Well, they all wanted to come here to see you for themselves, and I obviously couldn't have them doing that. So I told them that during the fight part of the mountain had collapsed and there's no way through. That I was lucky to escape myself. So now we have to... uh... make the mountain collapse. You know, in case someone tries to come anyway.”

“Oh, okay, good thing you don't want to do anything too complicated, we just have to _collapse part of the mountain!_ ”

“Well, what else did you want me to do?! It's not like I had any other good excuses that would keep them away...”

“Fine. I just hope we don't end up collapsing it for real, I kind of like my cave the way it is.”

“We'll be fine, Danny.”

Danny absolutely did not like that smile on Steve's face. It looked like trouble and Steve looked way too pleased with the idea of creating chaos and mayhem. But Steve was right, they didn't have any other options.

After making sure that Steve was at a safe distance – and didn't that take some convincing, the adrenaline filled dumb ass wanted to help crash the wall of the mountain himself – Danny started striking the wall with his tail. It took a few failed attempts, but Danny finally managed to make enough rocks roll down to make it impossible to come through that part of the road, his own cave mostly unscathed. A few boulders had gone astray and rolled inside the cave and a whole lot of dust filled the whole space. Danny quickly assigned Steve the task of cleaning it all up. It had been his stupid idea, he should deal with the mess.

It took the better part of an hour, but Steve got it all cleared up. Now he was settling a little corner of the cave for himself, folding all his clothes neatly, and placing what seemed like a few personal belongings here and there.

“Okay, what do you do now?” Steve asked while looking around, apparently satisfied with how everything looked.

“What do you mean?”

“What would you do if you were alone. What's your routine.”

“I sleep.”

“You sleep?”

“Yes, I sleep. That's what dragons do. We search for food, we eat and then we sleep.”

“That sounds boring.”

“No kidding. Why do you think I wanted company so much?”

“Okay, we'll start changing that tomorrow. But for tonight, now that you mentioned sleep, I am pretty beat.”

“That sounds good. Come here.” Danny opened up a space for Steve between his paw and his body.

“Uh... What?”

“Come here. You should sleep here.”

“But...”

“It can get pretty cold here at night. You'll freeze if you sleep over there on your own.”

“Didn't you say you sometimes breathe fire in your sleep? I thought I should stay as far away from you as possible.”

“That's another reason for you to sleep here. It's the only place that will undoubtedly be safe if I breathe fire, my paw will protect you. Anywhere else, the fire can travel.”

“Oh.” Steve didn't seem convinced, suspicion all over his eyes.

“It's not like I'm making a pass at you, Steve. I'm just looking out for you. You're the only company I have. I kind of want you alive.”

“I didn't think you were, Danny, I just...” Steve studied Danny intently, apparently trying to decide what to do. What had him so wary was beyond Danny. “Fine.” Steve finally moved, settling in the crook of Danny's 'paw-pit'.

“You okay?” Danny asked when it seemed like Steve was starting to relax a little.

“Yes, it's just... I don't know how to deal with physical contact. I only know how to fight.”

“Oh.” Danny could hear how uncomfortable and... lonely Steve sounded. He finally understood why Steve had come back to stay. Maybe Danny wasn't the only one who had been missing something. “Well, I guess we'll have to start changing that tomorrow.”

Danny could feel Steve's chuckle reverberating on his chest. He smiled and settled down to sleep. For the first time in gods know how long, he had something to look forward to when he woke up.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Based on the prompt "I’m a monster/guardian that the local village give sacrifices to and you’re the new sacrifice but don’t worry I won’t eat you, I’m kinda lonely", from [this post](http://ar-gyle.tumblr.com/post/122570943424/list-of-aus-i-need)  
> My [tumblr](http://whenamarshmallowmeetsahothead.tumblr.com/) is exclusively McDanno, in case anyone is interested. You should also go talk to me there, I like the company! =)


End file.
